§ 89.59. Surface water and groundwater monitoring.
(a) Surface water and groundwater monitoring shall be conducted under § 89.34 (relating to hydrology) and with the monitoring plan contained in the permit. At a minimum, surface water and groundwater monitoring shall include the following conditions:
(1) Groundwater levels, subsurface flow and storage characteristics and the quality of groundwater shall be monitored in a manner approved by the Department to determine the effects of underground mining activities on the quantity and quality of groundwater in the permit and adjacent areas.
(2) Groundwater levels and groundwater quality shall be monitored, when underground mining activities may affect the groundwater systems which serve as aquifers which significantly ensure the hydrologic balance of water use on or off the permit area. Monitoring shall include measurements from a sufficient number of wells, and chemical analyses of water from aquifers which adequately reflect changes in groundwater quantity and quality resulting from those activities. Monitoring shall be adequate to plan for modification of underground mining activities, if necessary, to minimize disturbance of the prevailing hydrologic balance. At a minimum, total dissolved solids or specific conductance corrected to 25°C, pH, acidity, alkalinity, total iron, total manganese, sulfates and water levels shall be monitored and reported to the Department at least every 3 months for each monitoring location.
(3) In addition to the monitoring and reporting requirements in Chapter 92a (relating to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting, monitoring and compliance), surface water shall be monitored accurately to measure and record the water quantity and quality of discharges from the permit area and the effect of the discharges on the receiving waters. Surface water shall be monitored for parameters that relate to the suitability of the surface water for current and approved postmining land uses and to the objectives for protection of the hydrologic balance as set forth in § 89.36 (relating to protection of hydrologic balance). At a minimum, total dissolved solids or specific conductance corrected to 25°C, total suspended solids, total iron, total manganese, acidity, alkalinity, pH, sulfates and flow shall be monitored and reported to the Department at least every 3 months for each monitoring location.
(b) The Department may require the operator to perform additional hydrologic tests, including, but not limited to, drilling, infiltration tests, aquifer tests and stream flow measurements. The results shall be submitted to the Department to demonstrate compliance with this section. The Department may also require the operator to conduct monitoring and reporting more frequently than every 3 months and to monitor additional parameters beyond the minimum specified in this section.
Authority The provisions of this § 89.59 amended under the Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act (52 P.S. § § 1396.1—1396.19a); The Bituminous Mine Subsidence and Land Conservation Act (52 P.S. § § 1406.1—1406.21); The Clean Streams Law (35 P.S. § § 691.1—691.1001); section 1920-A of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P.S. § 510-20); and section 3.2 of the Coal Refuse Disposal Control Act (52 P.S. § 30.53b).
Source The provisions of this § 89.59 adopted July 30, 1982, 12 Pa.B. 2473, effective July 31, 1982, 12 Pa.B. 2382; amended June 15, 1990, 20 Pa.B. 3383, effective July 27, 1991, 21 Pa.B. 3316; amended December 15, 1995, effective December 16, 1995, 25 Pa.B. 5821; amended March 13, 2020, effective March 14, 2020, 50 Pa.B. 1508. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (271937) to (271938) and (335853).
Cross References This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 89.34 (relating to hydrology); and 25 Pa. Code § 89.173 (relating to performance standards).
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